Waves along the Broken Shore
by Kieve Grove
Summary: He can still see the winds as they howled across the oceans, the legions that stomped across the land, and the fires that danced across them. It was but a dream, a nightmare, so why does it continue to haunt him? There are no demons marching across the world, no legions to hurt his tribe, no reason to stay awake after such a nightmare. It was just a nightmare, right?
1. Chapter 1

_The winds howled as it traveled across the vast ocean. The ocean cried along with it, crashing onto the land that the tauren could see all too clearly. And the land responded to the ocean with the rumbling of what sounded like an avalanche, but no, it was the marching of demons upon it. Even the unnatural green flame that danced along the armor and in the eyes of the demons took part in the elemental mourning, flickering in the wind as it tried to extinguish itself but failed miserably._

 _The tauren stood on the deck of a large ship. Purple paint chipped off the wood that had been eaten by age and war. The hull groaned under the weight of the men on top and from the pressure of the waves. How the ship still sailed was beyond him, yet he knew that it wasn't the time or place to worry about that. He wasn't sure how, but something told him that the leaking vessel was the least of his problems._

 _But if the ship isn't supposed to the problem, then what is?_

 _Thunk!_

 _What was that?_

" _To arms!"_

 _Who was that? Where was he exactly?_

 _A crowd of soldiers cheered at what the orc in front of them had just said. What it was, he couldn't say._

" _Lok'tar ogar!"_

 _That he heard, but wasn't that a battle cry?_

 _The soldiers began to run. The first few ran around the tauren, but even a large one like he couldn't compete with dozens, if not hundreds, of eager feet. He was pushed down, stomped on the soldier's feet and the bottoms of large weapons._

" _Stop! Please!" He cried out._

 _Yet the pounding of footwear and weaponry continued._

" _Please!" He pleaded once more. "I'm begging you!"_

 _The crowd of soldiers suddenly stopped._

" _Thank y-" The tauren began to say as he looked up. He would have finished his thought had the face he was looking at had been a comrade or soldier, not one of purple scales and fel._

 _The face of the demon smirked as he rose his weapon, a long polearm with a blade nearly twice as long as the base. His hand began to go down in slow motion. The point of the blade faced the tauren's face, right in between his eyes. The tauren closed his eyes as he awaited the entry of the polearm into his skull, or at least he tried. His eyes won't close, instead opting to witness its body's own demise._

 _Why?_

The tauren opened his opens to see nothing beyond the darkness. He lifted his upper body off of the ground, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the light. His breaths were uneven and heavy as he recalled his dream. No, it was a nightmare. Yes, a terrible nightmare, that's all.

A cool breeze flew across his warm back, taking the warmth of his slumber and leaving a chill along his spine. Part of him wanted to return to his warm mat, curled up by his mate as he rested for the next day. Yet the other part adamantly refused. He couldn't go back to bed, not now. He had to make sure that it was alright, that they were all okay.

He glanced around the tent, trying to make out the outlines of people there. His eyes started to make out such figures, the first being by his side on the mat. The tauren could see the figure's length extend across the mat, curling towards the center with its arms wrapped around something. A light lump of what he assumed to be her mane sprawled out in any directions like the roots of a tree might. Eyes closed, mouth agap slightly, the figure seemed at peace. Her breaths were deep and even, calm to the tauren's anxiety.

He looked closer to where her arms held something close to her chest, or rather someone. The figure was much smaller, but his darker fur helped him stand out from the other's lighter coat. His arms extended to the tauren's side as his oddly peaceful face was turned towards the tauren's own.

The tauren sighed with relief. It was alright, they were all here. They were safe and sound here with him. He was going nowhere.

Yet he couldn't get himself to go back to sleep. His mind kept replaying the dream, over and over again. He knew it was only a nightmare, a simple nightmare from a hard day of work. Yes, that had to be it.

The tauren sat there trying to piece together what had happened to make him so worried. It wasn't like him, to worry like this. That was her job, not his. He recalled the previous day, searching for a time, a place, something; that would have caused such a horrible nightmare. Like this he remained for what seemed like an eternity until-

Aha! He must have exhausted himself during his duty hours, when one of the other Braves told him that story.

Oh, he knew that story well! It had begun with the Braves of Thunderbluff as they guarded the city on the rises. They had been swapping all sorts of tales before, telling each other of previous experiences and legends from their tribes. It had been quite pleasant, up until the oldest of them had been pulled away by a rather stern looking orc.

This elder, who had decided to continue his service towards Thunderbluff despite his venerable age and suffering health, he had been a good friend of theirs. He would speak of times long before any of their births, of the elements and wars, and of chaos and joy. This tauren was an old but delightful man most days, but he hadn't been yesterday.

He had simply walked out of the conversation, without so much as a "Farewell" from the elder. The others hadn't noticed, but the tauren had. He had always been a curious one, much to the displeasure of his mother, his elders, and now his mate. Yet he had retained this uncanny ability to find trouble, so he followed the elder as he made his way out with the orc at his side.

They eventually stopped near the edge of the center rise, looking around as to ensure no one else heard. Such a pity the elder hadn't seen the tauren staring from behind a ceremonial totem pole.

It was difficult to tell whether it was simply gossip or not with how fantastical it seemed. The elder greeted the orc, who had introduced himself as a visiting commander. When the elder asked the commander about his reason to visit the Shu'halo capital, the commander explained that he had arrived to speak with the chieftain about an upcoming war.

Curious, the elder pressed further for answers. The commander was hesitant at first, but knew the old bull's ranking within the Braves and agreed to share with him. See, there had been rumours of a invasions from the Burning Legion itself.

The commander paused to let the elder laugh, for he was sure that would be his response. Yet the elder simply stared at him as he awaited answers.

The orc sighed but continued on. Elders, seers, shamans, priests, and many others in tune with the world of spirits had been speaking about visions of green flames and demonic scales for weeks before, yet the others had casted doubt on such stories. Yet it seemed to have been proved true as of late, with demonic hordes landing along the Broken Isles and reinforcements being seen as they traveled towards the planet.

The commander asked for the aid of the Braves and their chieftain. The elder nodded, stating that he would do what he could for the orc.

The orc simply nodded and walked away to the zeppelin platform. The elder walked back to the other Braves, mixing back into the circle of dutiful Braves. He had followed the elder's lead, regrouping with his fellow Braves as they went back to work guarding the city.

It was suppose to be nothing. The tauren had gone about his day as normal, coming home to his mate and son and enjoying good company before heading off to sleep.

Yet here he was, wide awake before dusk from nightmares of demons.

It was then that the tauren made his decision, looking over the sleeping figures of his mate and child. He would go fight these demons, once and for all.

 **Author's Note-Alright then. This is going to be a two-shot, with the second part published as soon as I can. Review or PM me with constructive criticism. Thank you for reading and have a good day!**


	2. Chapter 2

The waves crashed along the sides of the hull. The vast ocean hadn't been kind to them throughout their journey, but today was the pinnacle of a sailor's nightmare. The winds roared along side the currents, bashing to and fro on all sides. The creaking ship rocked along the waves, groaning with each hitting wave. The mast had to be taken down as the wind swirled around them early on in their journey. As it was, it was a dangerous journey to a place even more ruthless than the elements they battled with.

The tauren sat below deck, listening to the cries of the wind and complaints of the ship. He knew he should have been worried about the ruckus of his surroundings, but he had been here too many times in his dreams before to think twice about it.

The dreams, like the one had two weeks ago, had only continued to worsen. Sometimes he would die in the ship, drowning as he watched felfire fall towards the ocean. Other times, he was battling demonic hordes until they swarmed his fellow soldiers and cut them down one by one. However, the most disturbing dream had to be when he charged towards a demon only to be slaughtered in front of the others.

He didn't know why that one had hurt as much as it had, especially since it was less gruesome and horrific. Somehow, it just seemed more real. Real in the sense that he was watching a past hologram or listening to a tale of ages long since past, not in that it was going to happen.

The tauren tried to rid himself of these thoughts, focusing on the rush of the winds and water. In vain, he tried yet failed.

A screeching voice called out from above the deck. "Ready yourselves for land!"

"To arms!" This was a different voice. It was much harsher, carrying a sense of urgency to it that the tauren knew could only belong to his commander.

He sighed as he lifted his spear off the ground. It was a beauty, this spear of his. With a handle around three feet long and bronze blade half that length, it was a pride his family had carried with them for ages. The tales of his ancestors were carved along the wooden base, detailing victories against fare opponents of nature and man. Today, the spear would be going against an enemy it had never faced, but the tauren was sure that with the spirit's guidance he would return home to his family. That the spear would pass on to his own son, from his old hands to eager youthful ones.

The tauren caught himself smiling at the distracted thought. _No,_ he thought to himself, _you can't get too ahead of yourself. Just focus on winning this battle. For the tribe. For the Horde. For the Earthmother._

He made his way up to the deck. Most of the troops had already lined up, standing at arms ready to storm the stores. Waves still crashed along the deck, washing over the floor and slipping those unfortunate to be off guard. The tauren made his way to his position near the front row, standing tall and proud as a Brave ought to.

The commander stood in front of them all, slouching under the heavy plate he wore. His axe at his side, he paced around the soldiers as he called out final reminders. He tried to listen, but was distracted the land mass he could see up ahead.

It was a small island, unassuming to the eye until he saw the large green structure in the middle. The black metal along with the green felfire stood firmly in the ground, centered by smaller but similar structures. Demons of all shapes and sizes, colors and styles, marched towards the shore readying to meet them. He knew he could only see the front lines, that even this mass of demons wasn't anywhere near the total amount. It seemed hopeless, but he was sure that the forces of Azeroth would triumph over the Legion. They had to.

The ship landed along the jagged shore, with the tides calling inwards still as it rose higher and higher. It battered those who landed, but the soldiers ignored it. The demons were waiting along the edges, weapons raised and ready to kill.

The commander walked with a swagger in his step as he called out once more why they fought alongside one another against the Legion. He scolded those who would mutter under their breaths their reasons for fighting.

"You don't fight for your family. You don't fight for the Horde, your organizations, your friends. You don't fight for the Light or ancestors or nature. You don't fight for honor or glory." The orc rambled as he glanced across the various faces of his troops. "No, today you fight for Azeroth. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" The group yelled back, not willing to disagree right before battle.

With that, the orc signaled the troops off the boat towards the various demons. The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted battle cries and prayers as they began to charge. They were one with each other as they forced their way to the front lines. The tauren, with his Brave brethren, were close behind as they followed their comrades.

The tauren huffed as he ran. He had scanned over the various demons, but he simply ran straight towards a particularly nasty looking one.

He was a tall fellow, with purple scales across his body and glowing green eyes like they were infused with chaos itself. It only wore armor below its waist, glistening with metals and jewels unknown to the tauren. The weapon he recognized though. It was a long polearm, around two to three wide long with its handle and a blade that looked nearly twice that amount. It glistened with dried blood, as if the demon had slaughtered an entire world and had forgotten to clean the blade.

The demon smirked as the tauren ran towards him. The tauren didn't notice, but he had gained enough speed to be among the first soldiers to attack the demons. The tauren raised his weapon defensively over his chest as he pounced towards the demon.

The two fought for a while, trading blows and screaming in pain inflicted among each other. The air around them carried their cries and imbued them those of his fellow soldiers. Screams of agony called from all around the tauren. It was horrible, so much worse that he had ever heard before. He tried to ignore their pain, focus on his own battle.

That is until he heard a small child cry out.

"Papa!"

The tauren widened his eyes, despite his attempts to conceal his surprise. Was that-?

"Help me papa!"

No, he couldn't be here. His son was at home, safe and sound with his mother.

"Papa!"

Oh ancestors, don't let it be him. Anyone but him.

"They gotta me papa! Papa!"

He could hear the boy's agony as he cried for his aid. He tried tuning it out, but he couldn't. He turned around, sprinting to reach the source of his son's calls.

"No! Papa, help me! Help me!"

The tauren looked about. He couldn't see him, but where was he?

He began to take a step forward when he felt something pierce through his abdomen. Through his stomach, there was a large bloodied blade straight through him. He didn't feel the wound at first, all he could sense was the shock of seeing himself impaled. After a few eerie seconds, he felt a sensation of pain, of agony, but he couldn't get himself to call out for help. This was the type of pain that he didn't know existed and the tauren had a feeling it was the type of pain he could recover from. But he had to come back for them. He had to live.

"Papa!"

The voice began to fade away. Oh no, not him. He came to defend him. He couldn't have failed.

"M-ma…" The tauren began to whimper. He was desperate for more sound, more volume, but it hurt every time he took a breath.

The demon laughed, the sound rung out in the tauren's ears.

"Ma-l…."

He was losing his sight. The colors began to fade away as he began to lose consciousness. He could hear screaming and laughter, but he couldn't get himself to care about his surroundings. Even looking around him, he could see his environment fading out into a dark abyss.

"Mali….." His voice echoed out, calling for his son. Yet he saw nothing but the light of a small figure. He couldn't make out anything from the figure, just its presence. "Please…."

Yet it wasn't his son. "Come with me, you will be safe."

It looked like….what would he call it? How would he describe it? Well, he couldn't. It was like he had never seen before, with its brilliant light surrounding it, appearing as an aura. Perhaps a spirit?

No, it couldn't be a spirit. That would mean he's dying and he's not dying. It was an illusion. It had to be.

"Please, come with me. You'll be safe." The...apparition said, offering its light as it came closer to the tauren. "Come with me."

The ground under the tauren was shaking. No, he was shaking. His limbs were giving out on him, the blood from his wound spewing out too quickly for anyone to be able to fix it. Everything was fading. He couldn't hold out for much longer, not without accepting the spirit's aid.

The light was getting closer and closer to him. He couldn't leave, he had so much left. He had to return to her. He had to protect...

The tauren tried to find his voice once more. "Mali….k-"

"He will be safe. Trust me and come along." The apparition pleaded. "We must go."

He turned to look at his surroundings one last time. He could faintly see one of the Braves running towards him, mouthing something as though he was shouting something the tauren couldn't hear.

He looked towards that brilliant light that promised him so much. It seemed so tempting, even necessary. He had to. He didn't want to, but he had to accept the spirit for what it was.

It drew near the tauren. However, he accepted it. He fell on his knees and waited for the spirit to finally get to him. He would leave with the spirit, but what about-?

"Maliko…."

 **Author's Note-Well, that's the end of this two shot! This is connected with my stories on the Stonestriders, but I think it stands on its own fairly well. Let me know what you thought of this story and have a wonderful life!**


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